How to Recycle Your E-Waste Safely?

How to Recycle Your E-Waste Safely? You have plenty of options for properly recycling or donating your used electronics. It’s important to understand this: Even if you take your e-waste down to your local recycling center, there’s a high probability that it won’t get recycled properly. As ABC News discovered, e-waste recyclers are often more concerned with making a buck than they are with making sure these hazardous materials are disposed of properly. So what can you do?

1. Use a Certified E-Waste Recycler

Find an e-waste recycler certified through the Basel Action Network (BAN). BAN is a non-profit organization devoted to certifying e-Stewards, recyclers who are committed to safely and responsibly recycling electronics. Members take and demonstrate the Pledge of Responsible Recycling, so working with a certified e-Steward means you don’t have to worry that your gadget will become another nation’s pollution or a criminal’s newest project. BAN’s recycler locator will help you find the certified safety and comfort of e-Stewards in your area.

2. Visit Civic Institutions

Check with your local government, schools, and universities for additional responsible recycling options. With e-waste becoming such a large problem, government offices and schools are assigning days when citizens can bring unwanted electronics to a designated drop-off location.

3. Explore Retail Options

Best Buy, for example, isn’t certified through BAN’s e-Steward program, but they do have an effective recycling program in all of their stores. They claim to only use recyclers who adhere to the highest standards of e-waste processing. Specifically, their website discloses that e-waste that you bring to their stores will not end up in a foreign country or in any landfill:

Best Buy makes sure that the recyclers we work with adhere to the highest guidelines and standards so that the products customers bring into our stores for recycling don’t end up in landfills or in foreign countries, and that all hazardous materials are disposed of properly. We partner directly with a short list of qualified, respected recycling companies who ensure all products collected for recycling through Best Buy are handled responsibly. 

4. Donate Your Electronics

Reusing is always better than recycling. If your electronics still have life left, you can reduce e-waste pollution and share technology with people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to it.

Every time you replace one of your electronic devices, it’s your responsibility to be sure your old one gets recycled properly.Ideally, your first step will be to consume less. Don’t get pulled into the hype of new technology if you can help it. If you do want something, try to find a gently-used version first. Then, when you have an expired product, take the time to find a responsible e-waste recycler.

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